Process of finishing textiles



Patented Sept. 15, 1942 PROCESS OF rmrsnmo 'rax'rmas William J.Thackston, ,Haddon'llelglits, N. 3., assignor to Robin & Haas Company,Philadelphla, Pa.

No Drawing. Application June 1, 1938, Serial No. 211,177

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in the finishing of textileswith resinous materials. It provides a convenient method of modifyingand improving the finish obtained by standard resin preparations.

Textile materials are frequently treated or finished with syntheticresinous materials for the purpose of improving their appearance, theircrush resistance, their feel or handle," their body, and many of theirother properties. To produce these effects the customary procedure is topad the textile through an aqueous solution or dispersion of theresinous material, squeeze out the excess material absorbed, dry thetextile, and give such subsequent treatments as the nature of the resinand the type of finish desired may require. Most of the resins that havebeen used, namely, urea-formaldehyde condensates, hardenable alkydresins, cellulose ethers. and acrylate and methacrylate polymers, giveto the textile a stiffness and sandy handle that for most finishes isnot desirable. To overcome this it has been common practice to add tothe finishing bath a resin plasticizer, sulfonated olive oil being onefrequently used. The plasticizers that to date have been available in aform that may be incorporated in the finishing bath weaken, the resinfilm and reduce its washfastness. Those plasticizing materials that donot adversely affect the resin film have for the most part been of sucha character that it is necessary to mix them with the resin beforepreparation of the finishing bath. This is undesirable for the reasonthat diflerent textile materials, of fabrics of different weight made ofthe same textile material, and even the same fabrics when treated fordifferent purposes or to suit the particular desires of dif ferentusers, all require a different degree of plasticizing so that differentstock finishing preparations are necessary. As the resinous materialsare usually supplied the textile mill in a form which requires onlydilution with water to make them ready for use, a large variety of stockpreparations containing different quantities of plasticizer isimpractical.

It is accordingly the object of this invention to provide a washfastmaterial capable of softening a textile finish, in a form in which itmay be mixed with standard resinous textile finishing preparations inany desired amount. A further object is to provide a material of thesaid type in a form that can be supplied the textile mill along with astandard textile finishing preparation so that the finisher can mix thetwo in whatever proportions are necessary to meet his particularrequirements.

These objects have been accomplished through the discovery that aqueoussuspensions of nonhardening alkyd resins when mixed with aqueoussuspensions, emulsions or solutions of the commonly used textilefinishing resins, give a softness to the finished textile at least equalto the effects produced when plasticizers are added to the resin. Theimprovement in feel or handle does not, however, appear to be due to theusual action of a plasticizer for it is obtained even when two mutuallyincompatible resins are used.

The non-hardening alkyd resins that might be used are those preparedfrom long chain aliphatic polycarboxylic acids, such as sebacic acid,all of which are soft and rubbery resins, and those that contain asuflicient quantity of anondrying fatty oil acid chemically combinedwith the polybasic acid and polyhydric alcohol to make a soft resin.Among those that have been successfully used in practicing the inventionare resins made from glycerine and sebacic acid; from glycerine,diethylene glycol and sebacic acid; from glycerine, castor oil andsebacic acid; from glycerine, sebacic acid and phthalic acid; fromglycerine, castor oil and phthalic acid; and from castor oil, maleicacid and pine oil. In these various resins other non-drying fatty oilsmay be used in place of the castor oil and other long chain aliphaticpolycarboxylic acids such as adipic, pimelic, suberic, and azelaic acidsmay be used in place of the sebacic acid. The primary requirement of theresin is that it be a permanently soft resin.

Emulsions of these soft resins may be used to improve the effectsobtained by such common textile treating resinous materials as the watersoluble urea formaldehyde condensates; the organic solvent soluble ureaformaldehyde-monohydric alcohol condensates; hardenable alkyd resinsmade from glycerine, phthalic or maleic acid and drying oils; acrylicandmethacrylic resins; and cellulose ethers. In each case the addition ofthe soft resin markedly improves the softness and quality of thefinished textile without detracting from the permanency of the finish orthe desirable effects that are obtained by the resin treatment.

To obtain maximum miscibility of the dispersion of soft resin with thevarious hard resin preparations, it is desirable to have the soft resinvery finely dispersed. If the particle size in the dispersion is toolarge, the soft resin will coat the particles of hardenable resin whenthe two be'helow 0.5 micron but in some inst'ancea,.pa.rticularly wherethe dispersion is to beused immediately and precautions taken to. keepthe treating .bath in constant agitation, emulsions having largerparticles may be used It is also desirable to have the pH of thedispersion of soft resin at about the neutral point, preferably withinthe range of from pH 6.6 to pH 8.2. when substantially neutral, thedispersion of soft resin is miscible with the usual dispersions of hardresin. Otherwise, special precautions are needed to prevent onedispersion from causing the other to separate from the aqueous phase.

A dispersion of soft resin having these preferred qualities mayconveniently be prepared by utilizing the strong internal cohesion thatthey possess. It has been found that satisfactory dispersions may bemade by first thoroughly mixing the resin with a wetting agent, thenadding suillcient alkali to make the mixture slightly alkaline, and thenslowly mixing in the water. As the water is added a water-in-resin typeemulsion is first formed which soon loses the characteristic stickinessof these resins and becomes creamy. On the further addition of water,the phases reverse and a very fine solvent free dispersion of resin inwater is formed. To illustrate this method of preparing the dispersion,the following example is given Ezample'1.25 parts by weight of castoroil modified glycerol-sebacic acid resin are mixed with 7.5 parts byweight of a 20% solution of sodium diisobutyl phenoxyethyl sulfate untila Monsoodisclosed in my copendingapplication Serial No. 179,865 filedDecember-I15, i937, and the mixture is diluted with 60 parts by weightof water. A

small amount of an acid; reacting condensing agent may be added toaccelerate the subsequent curing of the urea resin. A136 2 60 broadclotha two-minute cure at about 280 1". The resulting slow to prevent theformation of lumps or strings and a very stable emulsion is produced.

The emulsions or solutions of hardenable resin with which thedispersions of non-hardena'ble -resin are to be usedare those that arecommercially available. The dispersions of soft resin are miscible withthese commercially available emulsions and solutions in diluted orundiluted form and in all proportions. The quantity that should be addedis dependent, among other things, on the type of fabric, the type offinish to be produced, and the particular desire of the manufacturer.Ordinarily when the dispersions of soft resin are used ,with materialswhich form very hard films, such as those produced by urea-formaldehydecondensates, the quantity of non-hardenable resin is between two andthree times that of the hardenable. When the material to be modifiedforms a relatively soft film, such as the acrylates, the amount ofnon-hardenable resin is usually less than one-third of the hardenable.Except when a water soluble urea-formaldehyde resin is used to obtaincrush resistance, the total resin content of the treating bath will notexceed 5% by weight and generally is between 1 and 3%. For acrush-resistant finish using a soluble :resin,

, the total resin in the bath is usually in the range of from 20% to30%.

The following examples are given to show how the invention is applied-Example 2.-2 parts by weight of the castor oil modified glycerol-sebacicacid resin emulsion prepared as in Example 1 are mixed with 1 part byweight of a 25% emulsion of a urea formaldehyde-butanol condensateprepared by the process fabric has a soft. full, mellow hand and a silkytouch, whereas the same cloth treated only with the urea resin emulsionis firm, wiry, thin, and

Example 3.An x 80 carded cotton percale is padded through a bathprepared by mixing 2 parts by weight of a 25% emulsion of a copolymermethyl acrylate and 10% ethyl acrylate.-

1 part by weight of emulsion prepared in Exampie 1, and 150 parts ofwater. The treated fabric has a soft, full, oily hand, and the usualthickness or bulkiness produced by such treatment.

Example 4.-4 parts byweight of a castor oilglycerol-sebacic acid resinemulsion prepared as in Example 1 is added to 96 parts ofa 25% aqueoussolution of a urea formaldehyde reaction product. A small amount of anacid reacting condensing agent is added. A men's suiting fabric madefrom spun rayon and cotton is padded through the mixture, dried, and theurea resin cured: The resulting fabric has a soft, full, and woollyhand, whereas the same material similarly treated with the ureaformaldehyde solution alone has a cold, thin, and sandy hand.

Example 5.A spun silk and acetate rayon shantung dress fabric was paddedthrough a bath prepared by mixing together V2 part by weight of theemulsion prepared as in Example 1, and 2 /2 parts by weight of a 15%emulsion of an organic solvent soluble ethyl cellulose plasticized byhydrogenated rosin ester and diluting with 36 parts of water. Thetreated fabric has a firm, silky hand.

Example 6.--A 25% emulsion of a phthalic anhydride-glycerol-sebacic acidresin was prepared by the procedure illustrated in Example 1.

- 1 part of thisemulsion was mixed with 4 parts of a 25% emulsion ofpolyethylacrylate and 150 parts of water. A carded cotton 80 x 80percale soft and silky.

Example 8.3 /2 parts by weight of a 25% emulsion of a drying oilmodified glycerol phthalate resin, and part by weight of a 25% aqueousemulsion of a terpineol-pine oil-glycerol-maleic anhydride resinprepared by .the process of Example 1, are mixed and diluted with 100parts of water. Yarn dyed cotton suiting treated with this solution hasa woolly, oily softness whereas identical fabric treated in the samemanner with a liquid containing only a drying oil modified glycerolphthalate resin has an artificial, disagreeable leatheriness.'

While the effects produced by the mixture of soft resin and hardenableresin obtained in the foregoing examples may be duplicated byplasticizing the hardenable resin. the effects of the plasticizer arelost when the fabric is washed, whereas the same eifects when producedby the herein disclosed process are retained even after repeatedlaundering. This is true not only of the feel produced by the resinitself, but also oLthe hand produced by mechanical finishes such ascalendering or button breaking.

I claim:

1. The process of finishing textiles which comprises padding a textilematerial through an aqueous finishing bath having suspended thereinemulsified particles of a resinous material selected from organicsolvent-soluble urea-formaldehyde monohydric aliphatic alcoholcondensates and polymers of methyl and ethyl esters of acrylic andmethacrylic acids and having also suspended therein discrete particlesof a soft, non-hardening, non-drying resin containing sebacic acidreacted with glycerine, which non-hardening resin is separatelyemulsified in a particle size of less than 0.5 micron in a medium of apH between 6.6 and 8.2, said finishing hath having a total resin contentof less than 5% by weight, and thereafter drying said padded textilematerial.

aqueous finishing bath having suspended therein emulsified particles ofan organic solvent-soluble urea-formaldehyde-butanol condensate andhaving also suspended therein discrete particles of a soft,non-hardening, non-drying resin containing sebacic acid reacted withglycerine, which nonhardening resin is separately emulsified in a par-.ticle size of less than 0.5 micron in a medium of a pH between 6.6 and8.2, said finishing bath having a total resin content of less than 5% byweight, and thereafter drying said padded textile material.

3. The process of finishing textiles which comprises padding a textilematerial through an aqueous finishing bath having suspended thereinemulsified particles of a polymer of ethyl acrylate and havingalsosuspended therein discrete particles of a soft, non-hardening,non-drying resin containing sebacic acid reacted with glycerine, whichnon-hardening resin is separately emulsified in a particle size of lessthan 0.5 micron in a medium of a pH between 6.6 and 8.2, said finishingbath having a total resin content of less than 5% by weight, andthereafter drying said padded 2. The process of finishing textiles whichcom- 5 textile material.

prises padding a textile material through an WILLIAM J. THACKSTON.

